75 Years of the Windrush Generation 50p (2023)
The Windrush 50p of 2023 marks seventy-five years since HMT Empire Windrush brought passengers from the Caribbean to Britain in 1948. It was made for collectors rather than for change, and people look it up to find out which version they hold and what it sells for. It is one of the 172 50p designs struck since 1969.
75 Years of the Windrush Generation 50p value
- Uncirculated
- typical £8, range £8 to £10
Worked out from 8 published prices (5 dealer prices, 2 sold-price reports and 1 price guide), each condition from its own prices, checked in September 2026.
Because the Windrush 50p was sold only to collectors, its price follows the packaging and the state of the coin rather than wear from spending. A coin still in its Royal Mint pack sells for more than the same coin loose, on a card or in a capsule. Hairline scratches, fingerprints and toning spots all bring it down. The colour edition, sold singly with an issue limit, is priced apart from the plain coin, and the silver and gold proofs trade in a market of their own.
75 Years of the Windrush Generation 50p mintage and rarity
The 75 Years of the Windrush Generation 50p was not issued for circulation, so it has no rarity rank.
How to spot a 75 Years of the Windrush Generation 50p
Two people stand side by side, a man and a woman, with the Union Flag filling the background behind them. The anniversary number stands large on the left in figures, WINDRUSH GENERATIONS runs in two lines across the bottom, and the designer's initials VJ sit at the right edge. Turn it over and you will find the uncrowned portrait of King Charles III. The colour edition has the design printed in colour, while the standard coin is plain cupro-nickel. No version was issued for circulation.
Known varieties of the 75 Years of the Windrush Generation 50p, all listed among the UK error coins and varieties:
- Colour edition: A colour-printed brilliant uncirculated edition sold singly from June 2023, with an issue limit of 10,000.
75 Years of the Windrush Generation 50p design
On 21 June 1948 HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury with passengers from the Caribbean, many of them former service personnel who came looking for work in a country left short of labour by the Second World War. The ship became a symbol for the Caribbean communities who, with other Commonwealth citizens, settled in Britain between 1948 and 1973, helping to rebuild the country and shaping its culture. The Royal Mint marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of that arrival with this coin. Artist Valda Jackson designed the reverse, which shows a smartly dressed Caribbean couple, the woman holding a handbag, standing in front of the Union Flag. The anniversary number, in large figures, fills the left of the coin with WINDRUSH GENERATIONS in two lines beneath it, and Jackson's initials VJ sit at the right edge. The coin was first struck for the 2023 commemorative coin sets and only afterwards sold on its own. A colour edition followed in June 2023, together with silver proofs, a silver piedfort and a gold proof. The obverse carries the first coin portrait of King Charles III, modelled by Martin Jennings.
75 Years of the Windrush Generation 50p specifications
- Denomination
- 50p
- Year
- 2023
- Type
- Commemorative
- Issue
- Not issued for circulation
- Occasion
- 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury on 21 June 1948
- Designer
- Valda Jackson
- Composition
- Cupro-nickel
- Weight
- 8 g
- Diameter
- 27.3 mm
- Shape
- Seven-sided
- Edge
- Plain
- Obverse
- Charles III, first portrait by Martin Jennings
75 Years of the Windrush Generation 50p questions
Was the Windrush 50p released into circulation?
No. It first came in the 2023 commemorative coin sets and was then sold singly as a brilliant uncirculated coin, with colour, silver proof and gold proof editions. No Windrush 50ps were made for use as everyday money.
Who designed the Windrush 50p?
Valda Jackson designed the reverse, and her initials VJ appear on it. The portrait of King Charles III on the other side is by Martin Jennings.
Is the Windrush 50p rare?
It is not ranked for rarity here because none were struck for circulation. The plain brilliant uncirculated coin was made in much larger numbers than the limited colour edition and the proofs, which are the harder versions to find.